, whether they actually believe there's a moral equivalency there or they don't and they're using it for political purposes. either way, whichever it is, this is not just bad domestic politics for the president, and it is and they know it, for a variety of reasons, including it takes him off the economy and divides him from democrats, which is a big problem on a range of issues, but i almost resist talking about this as a political issue. this is a national security crisis. both of these issues are. you have general petraeus getting involved in a domestic matter of the first amendment issue shows the extraordinary extent to which people in the military are -- men and women overseas think this is a big enough deal, and to have it to be brought into domestic politics and inflamed by republicans, again, out of principle, maybe, out of political purposes maybe, whatever the reason is really a national and international tragedy. and unfortunately the president, for a variety of reasons, is too weak on his own to deal with it. >> i think you're right. howard? >> well, sitting in the pre
